INDIA: The first phase of the Nagpur Metro Rail Project was officially opened on Sunday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi also lay the foundation stone for the rail project’s Phase II, whose construction will cost more than Rs 6700 crore.
PM Modi also bought a ticket for a metro ride from Freedom Park to Khapri, and on the way there, he was observed interacting with other passengers and students.
He also signalled the departure of the sixth Vande Bharat Express train, which runs between Nagpur and Bilaspur, earlier today. Prime Minister Modi waved his hands to the onboard passengers as he flagged off the train.
PM Modi has launched India’s sixth Vande Bharat Express
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already arrived in Nagpur when he was greeted by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, chief minister Eknath Shinde, as well as minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari.
He will lay the cornerstone for the reconstruction of Nagpur Railway Station and Ajni Railway Station later on in the day at a public event in Nagpur, which will cost about Rs 590 crore and Rs 360 crore, respectively.
The Government Maintenance Depot, Ajni (Nagpur), and the Kohli-Narkher Section of the Nagpur-Itarsi Third Line Project will be dedicated to the country by the prime minister. These projects cost approximately Rs 110 crore and Rs 450 crore to develop, respectively.
As the first stage in developing the nation’s infrastructure and capacities for the “One Health” policy, the prime minister also lay the cornerstone for the National Institute of One Health (NIO), Nagpur.
The “One Health” concept acknowledges the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. This strategy recognises that zoonotic illnesses, or those that spread from animal to human, primarily affect people.
The institute would be constructed at a cost of more than Rs 110 crore. It will collaborate with all stakeholders, operate as a catalyst to speed up national research and capacity building under the “One Health” paradigm, and work with them.
The Vidarbha region has a comparatively high prevalence of sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population. The condition, together with other hemoglobinopathies including thalassemia and HbE, considerably adds to the burden of disease in the country.
The Prime Minister officially broke ground for the “Centre for Research, Management, and Control of Haemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur” in February 2019 to address this issue.
The Center, which is intended to become a Center of Excellence for cutting-edge research, technical innovation, and human resource development in the country’s field of hemoglobinopathies, will now be dedicated to the country by the prime minister.
The Prime Minister will dedicate the initiative to clean up the Nag river in Nagpur. The National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) project, whose implementation will cost more than Rs 1925 crore, will take place.
PM will dedicate the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur, to the country. To meet the demands of the polymer and associated sectors, the institute works to develop qualified human resources.